MONTREAL — Police arrested 19 people after protesters ran out of an east-end subway station and blocked one of the city's busiest bridges Tuesday morning.

Between 50 and 100 people blocked the south entrance of the Jacques Cartier Bridge — which 36 million cars cross annually — just before 8 a.m.

Protesters, some wearing the red square, symbol of the anti-tuition-hike movement, fled in all directions when they saw police approaching the bridge less than 10 minutes after protesters arrived.

A cat-and-mouse chase ensued, with some protesters almost getting hit by cars as they ran through the streets trying to evade police.

Police spokesman Daniel Lacoursiere said officers arrived quickly and the protest lasted barely 10 minutes. However, traffic on the bridge was disrupted.

Lacoursiere said protesters acted criminally and police wanted to send a message. Those arrested will be charged with mischief, he said.

"This is not a protest," Lacoursiere told QMI Agency. "This is a criminal act. Just like when people threw smoke bombs on the metro system, this kind of thing will not be tolerated."

He said police recognized a few people among the 19 arrested who had previously been arrested for mischief during other protests.

"There were a few good customers that we arrested today," he said.

There have been almost 200 protests in Montreal since the student strike began more than 90 days ago.

Quebec Education Minister Line Beauchamp resigned Monday. She said student leaders have become intransigent. About 150,000 students are on strike across the province. They're protesting the provincial government's plan to raise tuition by $1,800 over seven years.